My Device
With LR Rockets and The Callas
November 6th, 2007
Buffalo Bar
by S P
Having heard a few My Device tracks on myspace, I was undecided and doubtful about the genre they claimed to be in (they list themselves as ‘ROCK ROCK ROCK’). It’s clearly early grunge or American punk rock with an underlining of heavy metal (one ROCK, not three). The Brighton trio is Todd Jordan, Alex Doogle Uren and Russell Eke. My Device make a lot of noise and obviously yearn to be heard. Hullabaloo is the word that best describes them.
A short live setlist was the redeeming factor of My Device’s Jumbo Fiasco album showcase. They were energetic, red-blooded and displayed dexterity on the smallish stage. Lots of screaming from the frontman; I’m no headbanger and am clearly not their target audience. Unable to make out any words, I blamed the lead singer’s poor diction and the Buffalo Bar’s atrocious sound system. Surely, when you attempt to scream and shout you have to make yourself heard?! Standing right in front of the bass player, I noticed he was wearing earplugs (says a lot about your music when you have to wear earplugs when you gig). When I listened to their debut album Jumbo Fiasco, I found a different band – an above-average bunch of tracks with good production values. Best of all, I’m able to make out the lyrics they are screaming about. Perhaps in a better-equipped venue My Device Live will be an enjoyable experience too.
Support came from London’s LR Rockets. Fun and lively, they wore lovely plastic jewellery with cute t-shirts, bright red jeans and silly haircuts to match. Members of the LR Rockets are Lemon Pie, The Face, The Judge and Lukelear Bomb. I was quickly moving and tapping my feet to their melodic sound fused with indie pop and art rock. LR Rockets have a love-hate relationship with the audience; some of the crowd were grooving while others side-stepped to chat. Named as Levi’s ‘Ones To Watch’, I personally find their fabricated personas interesting and witty. Not a band to be taken seriously, LR Rockets deliver joy and merriment in little doses. Do check them out and judge for yourself.
